This invention relates to a method for searching for items in an electronic catalog. The invention is particularly, although not exclusively, concerned with on-line electronic catalogs that allow a user to purchase selected products over a network such as the Internet.
It is convenient to organise the items in an electronic catalog in a hierarchy of categories. For example, in a catalog for office supplies, the items may be grouped into top-level categories such as xe2x80x9chardwarexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cconsumablesxe2x80x9d, which in turn are subdivided into lower-level categories. The user can then search this hierarchy, to find the desired items.
However, a problem with such an arrangement is that related items may appear in different branches of the hierarchy. For example, printers (such as laser printers) may appear under the xe2x80x9chardwarexe2x80x9d top-level category, while paper and toner for printers may appear in respective sub-categories under the xe2x80x9cconsumablesxe2x80x9d top-level category. This can make it difficult for the user to find items.
The object of the present invention is to provide a way of making it easier for a user to find items in a hierarchically-structured electronic catalog.
According to the invention, a computer-implemented method for searching for items in an electronic catalog comprises the steps:
(a) defining a hierarchy of category names, and associating each item in the electronic catalog with one of those category names;
(b) searching the hierarchy of category names and generating a list of words that appear in the category names at any of a plurality of different levels of the hierarchy;
(c) displaying the list of words to a user, and allowing a user to select a word from the list; and
(d) when the user selects a word from the list, displaying a list of items whose category names contain the selected word.